Secrets & Lies

Well, the discussion numbers are not quite at half way, but the year certainly is. As we start the second half of 2024 I am more determined than ever to post a discussion a day in hopes to get everyday people to pay attention to politics in Wasaga Beach.

I care about Wasaga Beach. I visited here all of my life. I moved here permanently in 2003 and we raised our family here. We started and still operate a successful business since 2005 that continues to serve Residents and Visitors daily! Yes… here in Wasaga Beach!

On January 1, 2024, I launched this project because of my profound disappointment in the actions of our Municipal Council.

I have been a close observer of Municipal Politics both before and after my wife served on our Council for 8 years. I will continue to stay involved for many years to come.

This is such an important project. Most times, these days people truly need motivation to dedicate time to paying attention. For most people, politics is what other people do. Most just pay their taxes and want clean water, nice roads and basic services.

Actually… that’s an important thing for our current Council to pay attention to. They all seem to think it’s all about the fancy stuff. It’s not!

This past weekend is actually one of the best examples of the misdirected focus of our Council. By comparison, last summer, they infringed on the rights of residents by creating road blocks into town, blocking roads completely (which delayed possible emergency services) and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars avoiding an unsanctioned car rally that never even showed up. But this weekend, it was COUNCILS free party! People were invited to town to party the night away at Beach One and nothing appears to have been done to respond to or prevent people from shooting fireworks into the crowds or control the garbage strewn across our Beaches.

The message from our Mayor (who does not even live in Wasaga Beach) appears to be, you can party all you want in Wasaga Beach as long as it is a party Council agrees with or organizes. Going back to the young people in a wide variety of modern “cool cars”, I see no effort to welcome them. It appears though, that if you have a classic car from the 70’s the town will even work with you to find places for you to display your pride and joy. If however, you have a modified Honda or BMW, Council will seek court injunctions to prevent anyone from lingering to even look at your car.

I get it… I also love the classics and I would support the “Cruisers” events any time. My wife and I would also sponsor any event they hold if we are approached. Yes, the H2Oi rally was/is over the top. It should be controlled… but how is our Council able to decide who can stay and who should go? Even “Jeep” was rejected this year by our Council. Why? No reasonable explanation was offered. Perhaps one of THEIR concerts interfered???

Why are there so many secret decisions? The answer to that is quite simple… this Council does not appear to care what the “general” population wants or doesn’t want. They have a large group of followers who love these free parties and the parties will continue, … at our expense while these seven are in power. They are even forming a new municipal corporation for this purpose.

This fall, we will see another budget presented and passed. That will again reflect on our taxes. I’m guessing a few things will occur. The public will be told what a great job the town has done in increasing revenue. After all, the taxes from all of the growth stimulated by previous Councils has enriched our tax roll. But, will the added revenue properly increase reserves? Will the increased revenue establish new parks? Will the increased revenue improve year round programming in our recreation departments, but routes or library services? We know these tax increases will go towards supporting the Mayors personal 40% pay raise and all if Councils new expense accounts. What we don’t know is how much more our taxes will go up and who Mayor Brian Smith will lay the blame on.

Open/ Transparent? I don’t think so. One of the first actions this Council took was to stop the secure recordings of their secret meetings (in-camera is the official title of these meetings) They do NOT want their tactics recorded for future scrutiny. THEY decide what is private, and not one member of Council has ever questioned their behind closed door meetings. Some changes they make are as simple as changing the WAY they present things for your review. Even our cheque registers appear to be edited.

Sure, look at the content, but pay attention to “how” it is presented.

This will forever be known to me as the “Optics” Council. They will always say things like, “you got TownHouses at Beach One because we held public meetings and that was what we heard FROM YOU.” But… would this Council invite the public for a follow up planning meeting now that the Townhouses have been revealed publicly? I’m guessing you wouldn’t have enough space in any Municipal building for that meeting.

They carefully control their own optics at these meetings by ensuring the Mayors friends come to the microphone to praise them, or ask a planned question. Planned clapping ensues for select speakers at these “public meetings” yet actual booing is not discouraged when some dare to ask a tough question. Shame on Council for allowing this circus to unfold.

Most do not know (I hadn’t even noticed) that they have eliminated the resident comment or question period at a council meeting’s. Pause and think about why they do these things.

My wife Sylvia Bray, did object at a recent meeting but was forced to do so as a deputation. She had to share her intended topic ahead of time and it appears that most members of Council prepared written statements to express their disagreement with her. (Certainly NOT a routine practice for deputation guests) The funny part is, she had not commented on some of the items they had prepared to argue, but they didn’t even notice and went on and on about what THEY wanted to argue. Their comments had nothing to do with her deputation, yet the Chair (Mayor Smith) allowed it. I mention this only because it is these procedural processes they will continue to manipulate to shape their “optics”. If I can encourage even a few people to pay attention to THESE details and see them for what they are, the truth will emerge.

Over the next month or so, I will be combining current issues with a review of the various discussions that have been shared this year. Perhaps by the time July ends, we will be able to discuss the April Cheque Register.

For those reading these discussions and sharing with your friends and neighbours… thank you! Yes, the silent majority is experiencing an awakening. I totally understand the apprehension many people have in actually commenting in the threads. In fact if you own a business, it can be downright dangerous to speak up. Your business will be targeted by the very people who claim to be looking out for the best interests of our community.

As we embark on the second half of the year, let me start off by saying THANK YOU to all of you. Many people who approach me when I am out having a “good day” and thank me for doing this, comment on how much time it takes. I really don’t mind taking the time. Those who know of my personal life, understand that I have the time and I see this as important. Yes, there is a significant cost to embarking on this journey, but it is worth the cost if only a few people are motivated to get involved during the next Municipal election. I have been told that at least two people are now considering entering political life in part because of what they read here. We (my wife Sylvia and I) knew the attacks would be relentless, as only a few days after I launched this project, the mayors biggest support team and some of our actual Council members joined into a group created with a similar name to “Wasaga Chronicle” (a group started to host these discussions) The apparent purpose of the copy-cat group is simply to hurl insults at myself, my wife and anyone who dares comment in support of my concerns. If you have not seen the members list of that group, check it out. It is a shame that the same people who put this Council into power are so determined to attack anyone who dares question them.

I have chosen to ignore them for the most part, but sadly, they have the ear of our Council and their actions will continue to be rewarded in ways most will never know.

The good part of that is when we make noise about true injustices, it has created change. Our discussions appear to have even guided the personal dialogue used by our Mayor. In some cases, his loyal followers have inadvertantly shared inside information in the discussions and what they share, often comes true within days. Great! It’s nice knowing we make a difference.

By “we”, I mean those brave ones who are not afraid to speak up. There are people I don’t think I have ever met personally who are letting their voices be heard. It starts with a collection of “likes”, then advances to comments when the frustration level gets unbearable.

My ONLY regret in starting this is that I have heard that Tax Dollars are possibly being wasted seeking legal ways to silence me/us. I truly hope this is not the case as the tax payers of Wasaga Beach should not be paying for 7 Council Members defending their vanity.

All members of Council are welcome to join in any of these conversations. But don’t expect people to hold back. If they think a $350,000.00 increase in senior non-union wages (about a 1.5% permanent tax increase) is worth talking about… they WILL engage you with serious questions.

During Mayor Smiths election Campaign, videos filmed beside his fireplace in Tiny Township, he said he would debate with anyone at any time. Brian… you are encouraged to join in here and engage your residents. By “your residents”, I mean those living in Wasaga Beach, not necessarily your neighbours at home. Mayor Smith, you are the spokesperson for our community. Please start telling everyone WHY you have chosen to stop responding to anyone who appears to object to your direction.

Anyhow, stay tuned… the final 6 months will include a lot of videos to more clearly validate some of the criticisms. Believe me… with what I have heard is coming, there will be plenty of criticism. Will it fall on deaf ears? I guess that depends on how loud the noise gets. But beware… speak out to loud and there may be fines involved. You may not even be able to fight these fines… they will just add them to your taxes. (I’m pretty sure that’s how this new bylaw enforcement works. If I’m wrong one of the many CAO’s we have is welcome to correct me here.)

Anyone wanting to meet to chat, or if you want to join one of the many kitchen table chats being hosted at our home… send me a message. I’m always happy to talk about the future of Wasaga Beach.